So, what happens if I have a camp. It takes 10 to set-up with another 20 showing up later to help run it. But as ticket sales commence people keep getting bumped into tiers they can't afford, or get bumped altogether and the event is sold out. So, what do you do if you've been getting your equipment ready all year for this camp, and all of a sudden 5-6-7 people are left out? Scrap the camp? Those who got tickets go while your friends who didn't stay at home with a little resentment? Sell the tickets and no one goes?

I really believe this is not going to work out well for a lot of people.

You set the limit for what you can afford in the main sale, so there's no "getting bumped into tiers they can't afford." And the main sale happens in January, so "all of a sudden" is 7-8 months before the event, and should be a surprise to no camp that's been getting their equipment ready all year.

Lowest tier tickets have been selling out almost immediately for the last few years. Those who couldn't afford the more expensive tiers have been staying at home with a little resentment for years.

As a camp leader, 2011 (first one that the event sold out) you would have had to make sure the people you were relying on to haul gear or help setup/teardown/run the camp had a ticket, otherwise you scrambled to make other arrangements. Odds are, the same will hold true for this year. If anything, it'll be easier for camp leaders this year since the sellout in July caught a lot of folks by surprised, and added some last-minute stresses and complications.

@bluesbob - it has nothing to do with when someone started to save their money, or when they purchased their ticket (either in the pre-sale, main sale, open sale, or through after-market). It has to do with managing your camp and making sure that the people providing or hauling the essential components have tickets. In your original post you mention "all of a sudden" as if this is something that will take a camp by surprise two weeks before the burn. The drawing for the main sale happens at the end of January, and people will know the results by February 1 - that's plenty of lead time. And even after that, leftovers from the main sale and an additional 10K tickets go on sale in March (it's an open sale, or first come/first serve). Who knows how long those tickets will last (could be days, weeks, or even a couple months). From a camp planning and organizing standpoint, just start getting into the habit of asking campmates if they have their tickets yet when they sign up for stuff.